Watching Movies with Christian Eyes Too: Bible Studies on the Big Screen for Teens

By Susan Maluschka

Being a teenager is hard work. Thanks to a combination of hormone overload, peer pressure, and social beliefs, teens and even preteens often feel misunderstood or alienated and are treated as unimportant or an outcast. These feelings are a combination of many things but generally come down to trying to figure out your place in the world from under your parent's thumb. Sports and video games sometimes help you escape the pressures of life for a little while. but they are not solutions. You need answers that can help you get a clearer picture of where you're going in life and what you want to be like when you get there.

Through movies, we can see the best and worst in ourselves. These studies will help you as a young adult (ages eleven to sixteen) to see beyond the movie's storyline and into the heart of the feelings and issues the characters are dealing with. If you haven't had to deal with some of these issues yet, hang on. They're coming. You need to give serious thought now about how you will choose to deal with these issues when they do come up. No one can do it for you. Going through these questions is a good way to get started thinking. The world is ever-changing, but we have the one thing that will never change--God's Word. Living in this world can be rough, but you can be the one to make it better.

Not all of the movies are rated to be seen by someone your age, but they don't have to be. You don't have to see the movies to do this study. The questions will guide you through the scenes so you can focus on the issues without dealing with the emotions that accompany visual images. Despite this, some topics may still be too sensitive for some people. For this reason, movies that focus solely on death or evil are noted with an asterisk on the "Contents" page because viewer discretion is advised.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Nov 19, 2021
• ISBN: 9781638448501

Book preview

Aladdin

Released: November 25, 1992

Directed by: Ron Clements and John Musker

Distributed by: Walt Disney Pictures, Silver Screen Partners IV

Starring: Scott Weinger (voice of Aladdin), Robin Williams (voice of Genie/Peddler), Linda Larkin (voice of Princess Jasmine)

Rating: G

Life lessons

Embrace who you are.

True freedom.

Synopsis

Aladdin is a poor but kind-hearted street urchin who steals food from the marketplace in the city of Agrabah with his monkey friend, Abu. He meets a young girl, Princess Jasmine, who is being forced by her father, the sultan, to get married. The royal advisor, Jafar, tricks Aladdin into entering the Cave of Wonders to find a magical lamp that Jafar can then use to steal the sultan’s throne. Aladdin finds the lamp, brings forth the Genie, and is granted three wishes. Jafar still goes after the throne, Aladdin goes after the princess and Genie goes after his freedom. Who will get what they want in the end?

Study

Aladdin and Abu spend their time stealing food from the marketplace and sharing it with other hungry children. Is stealing food wrong if it’s given to the needy? What other choices are there?

They dream of living in the grand palace with everything their hearts could desire. Although the people in the city see Aladdin as a worthless human being and call him a street rat, he knows that he has value and fights to hold onto his self-respect and reject the opinion of others. What Christian values do we see in his attitude?

Ephesians 2:10.

Aladdin’s philosophy is you’re only in trouble if you get caught. Is this something that you believe in as well? Why or why not?

We occasionally try to hide our actions from our parents and teachers because we know that what we want to do is wrong. We would also like to hide our wrongdoings from God, but how successful would we be?

Hebrews 4:13.

The writers of Aladdin try to convey an important message by having it repeated in different ways throughout the movie.

Merchant (holding up an oil lamp): Do not be fooled by its commonplace appearance. Like so many things, it is not what is outside, but what is inside that counts.

Cave of Wonders: Know this. Only one may enter here. One whose worth lies far within. A diamond in the rough.

Aladdin (sings): Riffraff, street rat. I don’t buy that. If only they’d look closer. Would they see a poor boy? No, siree! They’d find out there’s so much more to me.

What are all of these things saying to you about what is really important in life?

Aladdin meets Genie and learns how unbelievable Genie’s life seems to be. It goes to show that there is always more to people than what you first see: Phenomenal cosmic powers! Itty bitty living space. Genie is forced to sacrifice his comfort and free will to have great power. What is so valuable to you that you would sacrifice something to have it? Will it be just as valuable to you twenty years from now? What does that say about its true value?

What sacrifices does God ask of us?

Hebrews 13:15–16.

Proverbs 21:2–4.

When Aladdin is dressed up as Prince Ali, Genie continually reminds Aladdin to tell Jasmine the truth. His lies become obvious when the big purple feather on his turban falls over his face every time he lies. It may or may not be as obvious when we tell lies. How important is it to tell the truth regardless of the consequences?

Ephesians 4:25.

Exodus 20:16.

Genie’s life seems so wonderful but Aladdin soon learns that Genie is nothing more than a slave. Genie tells Aladdin, But, oh, to be free! Not to have to go ‘Poof! What do you need?’ ‘Poof! What do you need?’ ‘Poof! What do you need?’ To be my own master. Such a thing would be greater than all the magic and all the treasures in the world!

What is the difference between being a slave and serving others?

What does the Bible have to say about serving or being a slave?

Romans 6:6–14.

Galatians 5:13–14.

Some people treat God as though He were a genie in a bottle (very convenient. Need a parking space? Want to make that field goal? Rub the bottle via a quick prayer, and poof! It’s yours. He goes back in the bottle until you need Him again.) or an old grandpa (very kind but very, very old. Not as good as he used to be and doesn’t understand how things are today.) or a busy dad (leaves on Monday, returns on Saturday. You’d better straighten up and be on your best behavior on Sunday. Clean up your language and attitude, and act spiritual. On Monday you can be yourself again because He’ll never know). What is wrong with each of these assumptions?

Genie in a bottle.

Grandpa.

Busy dad.

Throughout the movie, Jafar tries to manipulate everyone around him to get what he wants—ultimate power and control. He convinces Aladdin to get the lamp for him because he knows that he (Jafar) is unworthy to obtain it on his own. He asks Aladdin, You’ve heard of the golden rule, haven’t you? Whoever has the gold makes the rules. The real golden rule is also misspoken in the movie Van Helsing when Igor finishes Dracula’s command, Do unto others…before they do it unto me! Look up the actual golden rule below and discuss what it means to you personally. Can you give any real-life examples of using this rule?

Luke 6:31.

Jafar hypnotizes the sultan to get the throne for himself. It could be said that the betrayal shown here by Jafar could be compared to the betrayal of Esau by Jacob. Jacob tricked Esau into giving away his birthright and then tricked their father into giving him Esau’s blessing (Genesis 27). Is greed always a cause for betrayal? Is there any hope for reconciliation or forgiveness for a person who has betrayed another?

Everyone in this movie wanted something. All of them were after something they thought would be more important to them than what they were already blessed with. It is okay to want things, but when you go to extremes by lying, cheating, and deception to get what you want, that’s called coveting. Coveting is defined as a sinful desire for anything that belongs to our neighbor. How does the Bible advise us to fight this urge?

1 Timothy 6:8–10.

Psalm 37:4.

Conclusion

In the end, Aladdin realized his dream came at too high of a cost for his friends. Luckily, he realized this fact before it was too late and he was able to use his last wish to free Genie. Young people often dream of reaching adulthood for the new experiences and freedoms it promises. What they find all too soon is that the freedoms, responsibilities, and consequences in adulthood are just as applicable as they are now. They just change the format. Adults still have rules and laws to follow because there are consequences for not doing so. The image of complete freedom and being your own master is nothing more than an illusion at any age. We are blessed that our creator, God, has control of our lives and we are not left to our own imaginations.

Closing prayer

Dear Lord, thank You for giving us others to serve so by it, we may serve You. Thank You for allowing us to dream of a better tomorrow for all of Your creation. Help us to accept our lives as they are and live each day thankful for our freedoms. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. In Your holy name, we pray. Amen.

Fun facts

The film had a color scheme. Blue (water) equals good, red (heat) equals evil, and yellow (sand) equals neutral. For example, Jafar is in black and red, and Jasmine is in blue. In the Cave of Wonders, the lamp’s chamber is blue while the ruby that tempts Abu is bright red.

Aladdin throws an apple at Jasmine several times throughout the movie including when they fly over Greece on the magic carpet ride. In ancient Greece, throwing an apple at a woman was considered a marriage proposal.

Abu was named after the ancient Egyptian city of Abu, which means elephant. That’s why he becomes one in the movie.

The Genie’s celebrity impressions are (in order) Arnold Schwarzenegger, Ed Sullivan, Groucho Marx, William F. Buckley, Señor Wences, Robert DeNiro, Carol Channing, Arsenio Hall, Walter Brennan, Mary Hart, Ethel Merman, Rodney Dangerfield, Jack Nicholson, Peter Lorre, and Alec Guinness.

A comparison of Jafar to Maleficent from Sleeping Beauty

Battleship

Released: May 18, 2012

Directed by: Peter Berg

Distributed by: Universal Pictures, Hasbro, Bluegrass Films

Starring: Alexander Skarsgård (Commander Stone Hopper), Brooklyn Decker (Sam), Liam Neeson (Admiral Shane), Taylor Kitsch (Lieutenant Alex Hopper), Rihanna (Petty Officer Cora Weps Raikes), John Tui (Chief Petty Officer Walter The Beast Lynch), Tadanobu Asano (Captain Yugi Nagata)

Rating: PG-13

Life lessons

You have more courage than you realize.

Using Scripture wisely.

Synopsis

Based on the classic Hasbro naval combat game, Battleship is the story of an international fleet of ships that come across an alien armada while on a naval war games exercise. The aliens erect a massive energy field enclosing the Hawaiian Islands and three battleships. With no chance of escape and no way to contact the ships and planes outside of the energy field, the men and women on these three ships are forced to engage the aliens in a battle that will determine the survival of the human race.

Study

At the beginning of the movie, we see Alex Hopper with no direction or purpose in his life. He is arrested for breaking and entering and theft of a convenience store just to impress a girl. Have you ever done anything crazy to impress someone and later realized how irresponsible it was?

For many young people that graduate high school and have no direction to take in life, the Armed Forces are a good choice. In addition to learning valuable skills and traveling the world, you also learn responsibility, focus, and self-discipline, which will aid you the rest of your life. In many ways, soldiers and disciples have a lot in common with each other. How many ways can you think of?

When Cal Zapata realizes that aliens have actually come to earth, he begins to panic and says, I told them that something like this would happen, that if something did find us, it would be like Columbus and the Indians, or the Incas and the Conquistadors, and they said, ‘Oh, no, they’ll be sweet…’ Why do we assume that intelligent life on other planets will be more intelligent than we are?

Are there any UFO encounters in the Bible?

Ezekiel 1:4–27.

Zechariah 5:1–2.

What does the Bible say about the possibility of life on other planets?

Genesis 1:14–18.

Psalm 97:6.

John 10:16.

The Bible does not give us the answer to every question that we have. It only tells us what we need to know: (a) we are saved by the work of Christ; (b) how God wants us to live by telling others of Him and serving each other; and (c) through faith in Jesus as our Savior, we will have eternal life. Scripture can be used also to help us understand our world, but we should not impose our world views on the Bible. What does this last sentence mean to you?

Scientific research depends on observation, not speculation, to reach a conclusion. Regarding the truth of Scripture, the apostles did the observing of God while in the presence of Jesus and wrote it down so we don’t have to speculate. It stands to reason that unexplained sightings or occurrences are either natural (of nature or man-made) or supernatural. In the case of the supernatural, the source would be either God or Satan. It is certainly possible for Satan to manifest such occurrences to distract us. In what way can you be led away from God by believing in UFOs or aliens from other planets?

When one of the three battleships was destroyed, Alex Hopper found himself in charge of the battle against the aliens. He felt highly unqualified and the least likely person to lead because of his undisciplined past. Many of the great people in the Bible were also the least qualified and felt unworthy to lead. Among them are Joseph, Moses, David, Esther, and Paul. In Matthew 28:19, each of us is called by God to do a job of telling others about Him. How do you know if you are qualified for this job?

Lt. Col. Mick Canales is a bilateral amputee, which means he lost both of his legs from the knee down. Although his incident was some time ago, he continues to hold onto his anger because of it. He tells his physical therapist that he is only half a man without his legs. This is a type of pain that others could never fully understand unless it had happened to them as well. At one time or another, we will all have pain that we believe no one else could fully understand. That is part of living in a sinful world. How important is our pain in the overall scheme of life?

Romans 8:18.

After Alex Hopper’s tactic destroys an alien ship, he tells Captain Nagata, Art of War, ‘Fight the enemy where they aren’t.’ After all these years, that finally just clicked. Captain Nagata tells him that’s not what it means…not even close. What do you think it means to fight the enemy where they aren’t?

Who is our true enemy?

Ephesians 6:12.

How can we fight him?

James 4:7.

Ephesians 6:13–18.

Captain Nagata exclaims, We’re going to die! Alex Hopper tells him, We are going to die. You’re going to die, I’m going to die, we’re all going to die…just not today. What comfort does the Bible give us when we feel like all hope is lost and we are doomed?

Joshua 1:9.

John 11:25.

Cal and Mick are on top of a mountain, overlooking the fight between the battleship and the alien ships. Cal has a way for them to contact the battleship, but his radio is currently in the alien camp. He tells Mick that he does not possess the courage needed to face the aliens. Mick orders him to either acquire the courage needed or he will come to serious bodily harm. He takes off while chanting. Acquiring courage…acquiring courage. When is it wise to know your limits, and when should you push yourself to go beyond what you believe you can do?

This is a movie made from a game. Real life is not a game, or is it? Can thinking of life as a game help relieve stressful situations? How do you win?

Conclusion

No matter what mistakes we may have made in the past, it is not too late to work toward being a better person. At times, everyone feels unworthy of the tasks put before them. It takes true courage to step up regardless of how unqualified you may feel. Alex Hopper stepped up to lead an army against the enemy after his brother’s death. Mick stepped up to go head to head with an alien despite his handicap. Both men succeeded